I’ve been running on pure adrenaline these past few days, as I finished up with some last minute assignments and as I bid my fellow interns goodbye after graduation (not forever, of course!)

And then. This morning? I crashed. Absolutely crashed!

I didn’t feel at all into my morning run. I didn’t feel like reading. Or baking or cooking or even eating for that matter (!?!?!) I was pooped, whiped, tuckered out. Exhausted. Thank goodness for the Grill Master (aka, Dad.)

I can always count on him to change my mind about the eating thing.

And so, the rest of the day consisted of me dicing a few vegetables here, throwing a few spices there, and generally just allowing myself to enjoy the day.

Dad manned the grill. Mom helped. 😉

We had a nice wide spread of grilled vegetables.

The eggplant was by far my favorite component of the entire meal. I’ve only had the purple globe a couple of times, served in the delightfully understated peasant dish of ratatouille. And mostly, I think of it as a veggie fill-in for the old Italian favorite–eggplant parmesan.

Really, it hadn’t crossed my mind to throw it on the hot grill until today, but I’m glad we gave it a go. It was thick, meaty and dense. And perhaps best of all, it was absolutely intoxicated with extra virgin olive oil. Heaven. I can only imagine what kind of pizza or sandwich this would make. So many new possibilities!

Lots of veggies, some grilled potatoes and a slab of BBQ tofu. This plate earned my vote for meal of the week.

We don’t often eat off of paper plates, but we have some extras kicking around the house. This totally added to that “camping out” kind of feeling! 😀

Eaten outside on the deck, under a tarp which dutifully protected us from an oncoming rain storm.

Well. Mostly. Until about 10 minutes or so later, when it too decided that it was pooped, tuckered and whiped out from the past week.

Eeeps!

We all ran indoors, hiding from the storm. Dancing around puddles. Laughing as the rain plummeted down, down, down upon us on the way in.

Today was wonderful, delicious, peaceful. Dare I say it, perfect?

Yes. I dare. What a lovely Saturday.

Grilled Eggplant

1 large eggplant

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat grill to medium/high.

Slice eggplant about 3/4 inch thick, into circular slices. Brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper to taste.

Place on grill for about 3-5 minutes. Flip once browned and soft. Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!

I have always wanted to try eggplant on the grill but most in my house turn up their noses. This recipe looks flavorful (and easy…I need that!) enough that maybe, just maybe I can get them to take a bite. : )
I absolutely love your last photo! It just says ‘Summer’! Best thing about my Saturday…watching my girls head off to the lake together to have ‘Girls Only…Sisters Only Time’. Makes this Mamma smile. : )

#1. Congrats, congrats, and congrats!!! 🙂 #2. Those grilled veggies are making me feel hungry, and I now want to grill the banana that I’m munching on… just because maybe it too would look delicious. #3. I think my blog, after all this, might end up staying ‘Simple Moments’. What do you think? Should I change it or not? Somehow, ‘Simple Moments’ is just so familiar. I changed the look though, so go check it out!!! 🙂